Event Coverage Road Trip Revival: Part 2

[Jon1953B4]

You both will be cruising along looking like badasses on 695(loop around bmore), when suddenly you're distracted by two ladies from dundalk flashing you and you'll take the exit on to pulaski highway. Next thing you know your heading towards my house and you have no choice but to stop by and help me work on my 53' dodge pu. Good luck and see you in a few days with my prizes.

[C. Montgomery]

I drove my wagon back to Texas from minnesota. me and a buddy flew up on a friday, got the car and were home saturday night. we didn't have a single problem. I bet it'll be a fun and uneventful 2000 miles.

[Donnj]

x2 Zman, get in and drive, for safe measure a rebuild kit for the Carter with a accelerator pump and a set of points, very cheap insurance you can sneak in your bag. Other than that, gas and go and enjoy the ride. Im sure the grin has been on your face for a few weeks, but once you land and see them in person for the first time it will really sink in and then butterflies will start. After you slide into the buckets, turn the ignition and that nailhead fires INSTANTLY the grin is ear to ear. It will all come to fruition as you hit the on ramp to your first major hi-way with no traffic and and your right foot burys the pedal, the mechanical secondarys will kick in and then your fondest memories of the Riviera all come back to you as you watch the speedo needle begin to climb as the ride gets smoother and smoother. Enjoy the trip guys

[D-Russ]

Originally Posted by cactus1

You'll be fine... See you in Baltimore.

Well maybe pack an extra water pump and some fuel filters!

Mike, are you and the truck going to be in Baltimore? I'm planning on being there Saturday and Sunday, so definitely look me up. I'll PM you my cell.

As for Ryan and what's going to malfunction on the car ...

1. a belt or hose failure

2. a tire failure

3. running out of gas from a faulty fuel gauge or fuel delivery problems

3. and the wild card – you have absolutely no problems what so ever and it turns out to be one of the coolest car adventures of your lifetime.

[4t64rd]

As long as you have the trunk stocked correctly, you should be fine... Just load it up with two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers . . . and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls . . . Not that you will need all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worries me is the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I know you'll get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.

Oh, and I predicts pitches won't be switched, and transmission problems will stop one of them soon after hitting freeway speeds.

[Randy P]

Norm's fuel pump will go out, other Rivi will provide transportation to scouring all of the small town parts stores in the area until a replacement is located.

Second Rivi will lose a fan belt, small setback, easily fixed.

Driving through Tennessee you will encounter a buck naked adult male crossing all lanes of the busy interstate in front of you, running from a rest stop and headed for the woods on the other side while being chased by a fully clothed adult female and four armed state troopers.

At least that's the way it went on my road trip with Norm...

[hotrodladycrusr]

rear wheel bearing issue

No matter what car I'm driving always happens to me.

Good luck and if you need assistance on the road call night or day and I'll get ya the closest HAMB help I can find.

[hotrod-steve]

Its going to be fine. I drove a 56 cad from Texas to Toronto -best dam trip I ever had. Take a few tools and parts,check your fluid levels often,hook up a multimeter beside you to make sure its charging-HAVE FUN (Im jelous)

[383deuce]

Well likle the other guys have allready said on this issue. Make sure and take along an extra water pump. As one will go out on ya somewhere on this trip. Plus take along extra fuel filter or 2.
Most of all have a BLAST...Nothing like a good road trip.

[Brad54]

I've bought three cars, sight-unseen, one-way plane tickets and driven them home:
Unrestored '61 Suburban from Joplin to Atlanta, 90K mile unrestored '73 Duster from California to Atlanta, Restored (ish) '61 Corvair from Indiana to Atlanta. I've also driven a '70 Challenger from the TV version of Vanishing Point from Denver to California.
I also daily-drove a 24,000 mile original '54 Buick that had sat for 10 years before I got it.

Here's what you will experience:
The transmission seals will fail. Stop and get the thick red trans goo in the white bottle. This happened on both of the Automatic cars I dealt with.

At least one of the 8 (combined) wheel cylinders will blow. ('54 Buick)
A water pump is a very good bet as well. ('54 Buick, Duster immediately after I got home)
You'll also have trash in the gas tank and fuel lines, which will wreak havoc with your carb. (Buick) But you won't know this is the problem because there isn't a clear, visible fuel filter ahead of the carb.
One of the heater cores will leak (Duster)

Screwy problem of the trip will be a corroded thermostat that causes the thing to run hot.

I bring a fairly comprehensive tool kit along when I go on a road trip, but that's a lot harder now that the airlines have weight limits. For the Suburban, I checked my tool box as baggage. For the Duster, I bought a big socket/wrench set, a set of screwdrivers and vise grips/pliers at Sears.

One thing you'll need to do is check the tires: if they're old, get new ones before heading out of town. (Suburban. Tire clearance issue with the Corvair)

If the cars have been sitting for that long, change all the fluids, too... they will have absorbed moisture through vent tubes. Flush the brakes.

Finally... 2,000 miles in three days? That's better than 650 miles a day. At 12 mpg, that's 55 gallons of gas a day... you'll need three fuel stops, which, on a road trip, almost ALWAYS takes 20 minutes from the time you hit the off-ramp to the time you hit the on-ramp. That's another hour. Add time for a meal stop and piss-breaks, and that's at least another hour.
Three days will be humpin' it. Especially including the show. And that's not counting any road-side fixes.

I'd plan 4 days for 2,000 miles on a new-bought, un-tested vintage car.


-Brad

[Houston Rodder]

Tool Tall Texan = Transmission / Tire Trouble
Cryin' Ryan = Electrical / Ignition Fryin'

Good Luck.

[chriseakin]

I'd guess problems with accumulated crud from the gas tank (take lots of spare fuel filters) and split heater hoses (extra water jugs and lots of duct tape). And maybe a leaky brake wheel cylinder.
Chris

[TexasSpeed]

1. Ryan will run out of film from shooting the TRJ show.

2. The tall Texan will find he's jealous that Ryan got the '65.

3. Discovery Channel will try to convince Ryan to let them record the trip for a new "new drama-filled reality show featuring two Texan hard asses and a pair of Buicks as they take on the American highway. Will they make it home? Will they gnash at each other's throats? Will the Buicks retire prematurely?"

Yes.. I consider the third one a problem.

[Canada Jeff]

Aliens will abduct you both, decide to keep the cars and dump you nekkid in the ditch.

[ryno]

I'm thinking you guys will ave a kick ass time and be trouble free,too much good has come from you fellas in the hot rod world,the gods will be watching over y'all.

Now what Ryan didn't state is the winner that guesses what happens get banned for cursing them with bad luck.

Enjoy,I'm jelious.....

[Dir-T-Bird]

Your biggest issue will be the fact that either car hasn't been lowered yet.

[flathead okie]

Collapsed or busted lower radiator hose

[Slick Willy]

I "teabagged" the green one and gave the blue one a "pressed ham" to the passenger window Saturday night...Gen Gow was supposed to take pictures but he didnt...

I will give my insight later when I have a bit more time to write...

[the-rodster]

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.

[bryceaugustine]

i see overheating issues, problems with hoses and such. and im thinking a radiator is gona puke....cant wait to hear how it goes; have fun.